Ball inflating bracket



Feb. 13, 1968 B .R. PORTERFIELD BALL INELATING BRACKET Filed Nov. 12,1965 United States Patent 3,368,689 BALL INFLATING BRACKET Burl RaymondPorterfield, Box 335, Tuba City, Ariz. 86045 Filed Nov. 12, 1965, Ser.No. 507,461 2 Claims. (Cl. 211-14) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ballinflating bracket comprising a first arm adapted to be fixed to asupport, a socket formed on said first arm, said socket being adapted toreceive a manual inflating pump, a second arm connected to and extendinglaterally from the socket, and a ball supporting cup on the second arm.

This invention relates to inflating devices, for such as the bladders ofbasketballs and the like, and more particularly to a bracket, adapted tobe wall-mounted or otherwise stationarily supported, devised tosimultaneously support a bladder containing ball and an inflating pumptherefor, in operative relation to each other.

The task of inflating the bladders of balls, such as ibasketballs, isusually performed by positioning and holding the ball in place, on asurface, with one hand, while positioning and operating a manual handpump, on a surface, with the other hand, with the pump connected to thebladder by means of a flexible tube. This performance is cumbersome,erratic, and onerous, and involves substantial expenditure of time andeffort.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of abracket, adapted for rigid mounting on a wall, or other suitablesupport, which serves to adequately support a ball and the usual manualinflating pump, relative to each other, with the pumps hose connected tothe bladder of the ball, in such a manner that the operators hands arefreed to operate the pump, with a minimum effort, and at substantialsavings in time.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side perspective view of a device of the presentinvention, showing a ball and an inflating pump connected thereto, inphantom lines, supported on the device;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section, taken throughsaid device;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section, taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section, taken on the line44 of FIGURE 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the illustrated device, showsfixedly secured to the vertical surface of a wall W, comprises an armhaving a pendant flat perpendicular lower portion 12 engaged with thewall surface, and secured in place, as by means of screws 14, extendedthrough openings 16.

The lower arm portion 12 merges, at its upper end, into the lower end ofan upwardly and outwardly angled upper arm portion 18, which, at itsupper end, is suitably fixed, as indicated at 20, radially with respectto the peripheral edge 22 of a flat horizontal, preferably circularplate 24.

Suitably fixed upon the upper surface of the plate 24,

and concentrically spaced inwardly from its peripheral edge 22, is anupstanding circular wall 26. Suitably fixed, as indicated at 28, to theouter side of the wall 26, and encircling the same, at a location spaceddownwardly from the upper. edge 30, of the wall 26, is an annularlateral flange 32. The flange 32 is spaced upwardly from the plate 24 ata distance greater than that between the upper edge 30, of the wall 26,and the flange 32.

As shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, the wall 26 is formed with a relativelywide vertical positioning slot 34, opening to its upper edge 30, theslot 34 being provided to receive a lateral lug 36, present on the lowerpart of the cylindrical housing 38, of a conventional manual ballinflating pump 40, with the lower end of this housing snugly engaged inthe socket 42, defined by the wall 26 and the plate 24. This arrangementsecurely supports the pump 40, on the device, and prevents rotationthereof, in the socket 42, while the pumps handle 44 is being operated.The pump 40' has a hose 46 adapted to be connected to the bladder (notshown) of a ball, such as a basketball 48. The inner edge of the flange32 exposed by the slot 34 is recessed and downwardly angulated, asindicated at 34, to facilitate entrance of the lug 36 of the pump 40.

The ball 48 is adapted to be supported in a flat circular cup 50, of thesame radius of curvature as the ball, which is formed on the outer endportion of a horizontal arm 52. The arm 52 extends laterally outwardlyfrom a ring 54 which is rotatably circumposed on the socket wall 26, andis loosely confined between the flange 32 and the part of the plate 24which reaches outwardly beyond the wall 26, whereby the arm 52 is freelyrotatable around the socket 42.

The arm 52 preferably comprises a flat, horizontally elongatedhorizontal portion 56, which has an inwardly and downwardly angled innerend 58, which extends below the flange 32 and engages the wall 26. Theupper portion 56 is rigidified and braced, relative to the ring 54, by acentered, vertical longitudinal flange 60, fixed to the underside of theportion 56, which, at its inner end, is suitably fixed to the exteriorof the ring 54; and, at its outer end, is conformed in shape to and issuitably fixed, as indicated at 62-, to the underside of the cup 50.

In operation, with the ball 48 engaged in the cup 50 and its bladderconnected to the hose 46 of the pump 40, the latter being seated in thesocket 42, operation of the handle 44 produces inflation of the bladderof the ball 48, without necessity for holding either the ball or thepump.

What is claimed is:

1. A ball inflating bracket comprising a first arm adapted to be fixedto a support, a socket formed on said first arm, said socket beingadapted to receive a manual inflating pump, a second arm connected toand extending laterally from the socket, and a ball-supporting cup onthe second arm socket comprising a plate fixed to said first arm, anupstanding circular wall fixed on said plate, said wall being spacedfrom the peripheral edge of the plate, a lateral annular flange fixed onsaid wall and spaced above said plate, said second arm having a ringcircumposed on said wall and confined between the plate and the flange.

2. A ball inflating bracket comprising: a pair of rigidly connectedarms, one of said arms extending vertically 4 for attachment to a wall,and the other extending out- References Cited Wardly from said wall,said outwardly extending arm UNITED STATES PATENTS having apump-receiving cup at its free end defined by a 385 486 7/1888 Thurber248 309X vertical cylindrical flange surrounding a bottom plate; a 1098482 6/1914 Combes 248 282X member having at one end an opencylindrical flange 5 1 4 9/1963 Lahive 248 289X and at its opposite enda ball-receiving cup, said flange being sized so as rotatably to engagethe flange of said ROY FRAZER P r 1mm y Exammer pump-receiving cup. J.F. FOSS, Assistant Examiner.

